Athens Essentials

The stops, in walking order

1. 1

   

   Stop 1: Acropolis Museum

   ~1 hr here

   The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum devoted to objects from the Acropolis, and the building itself stands above remains of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.

2. 2

   

   Stop 2: Odeon of Herodes Atticus

   ~3 min here

   The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is the stone theatre built into the Acropolis slope before you.

3. 3

   

   Stop 3: Parthenon

   ~3 min here

   The Parthenon is the weathered temple before you, built for Athena on the Athenian Acropolis.

4. 4

   

   Stop 4: Acropolis of Athens

   ~3 min here

   The Acropolis of Athens is the ancient citadel spread across this rocky height, with the Parthenon as its most famous surviving building.

5. 5

   

   Stop 5: Anafiotika

   ~3 min here

   Anafiotika is a tiny historic neighborhood within Plaka, set on the northeast side of the Acropolis hill.

6. 6

   

   Stop 6: Plaka

   ~3 min here

   Plaka is Athens’s old historic neighborhood, spread around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis.

7. 7

   

   Stop 7: Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

   ~3 min here

   The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates is the circular ancient Greek memorial before you, raised on a square stone base.

8. 8

   

   Stop 8: Arch of Hadrian

   ~3 min here

   The Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway linking the ancient route between Athens and the eastern complex that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

9. 9

   

   Stop 9: Temple of Olympian Zeus

   ~3 min here

   The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the vast ruined sanctuary you see here, an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Zeus.

10. 10

    

    Stop 10: Old Royal Palace (Hellenic Parliament)

    ~3 min here

    Old Royal Palace is the neoclassical building that now houses Greece’s Parliament.

11. 11

    

    Stop 11: Syntagma Square

    ~3 min here

    Syntagma Square is Athens’s central public square, set before the Old Royal Palace, where the Greek Parliament has sat since 1934.

12. 12

    

    Stop 12: Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens

    ~15 min here

    The Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens is a Greek Orthodox cathedral serving as the cathedral church for the Archbishopric of Athens and all of Greece.

13. 13

    

    Stop 13: Church of Panagia Kapnikarea

    ~15 min here

    Kapnikarea is a Greek Orthodox church, and it remains among Athens’ oldest churches still in continuous use.

14. 14

    

    Stop 14: Monastiraki

    ~3 min here

    Monastiraki is a flea-market neighbourhood in Athens’ old town, with shopping as its defining draw.

15. 15

    

    Stop 15: Ancient Agora of Athens

    ~3 min here

    The Ancient Agora of Athens is the open civic square where ancient Athenians traded, gathered for legal business, voted and talked.

More walks in Athens

• HighlightsAthens Essentials: The Acropolis in an Hour6 stops · ~1 hr 50 min · 2.6 kmSee the walk
• Ancient HistoryFrom the Roman Agora to Kerameikos7 stops · ~1 hr 5 min · 3.3 kmSee the walk
• Local LifeMarkets, Monastiraki and Gazi8 stops · ~3 hr · 6.7 kmSee the walk
• Art & MuseumsMuseums and Hills: Ardittos to Lycabettus9 stops · ~4 hr 30 min · 5.4 kmSee the walk
• Ancient HistoryIn the Footsteps of Socrates: Agora to Philopappos Hill6 stops · ~1 hr · 3.3 kmSee the walk
• History & ParksMarble Stadium and the First Cemetery7 stops · ~1 hr 25 min · 4.7 kmSee the walk
• ArchitectureNeoclassical Athens: Parliament, Academy and the Old Parliament6 stops · ~1 hr 45 min · 2.2 kmSee the walk
• Local LifeNeighbourhoods of Athens: Koukaki to Gazi6 stops · ~1 hr 20 min · 4.7 kmSee the walk